You’ve just been pitched !
Have you ever been stopped by tourists asking you to take a picture of them in front of a famous monument ? Have you ever entered your number in the phone of a handsome man or pretty woman that never called you back ? Have you ever been in a bar desperate, not knowing what to order and finally deciding to have the same drink as that group of young students in their 20’s ? Have you ever listened to someone’s conversation in a restaurant and found out about the latest gadget they have bought ? Has your friend in a bar ever said “come on it’s on me”?
Well I’m am sorry to tell you that you have been victim of this new Marketing Strategy called Stealth marketing.
What is it?
Stealth marketing, also known as undercover marketing, is a new strategy used by companies to pitch their product when their “victims” don’t even realize they are being marketed to.
The situations described above are used by companies such as Sony, Hennessy ( Cognac) and Blackberry. This is what happened to you when these happy looking tourists handed their brand new shiny camera to you. The truth is, Sony paid them to ask people to take their picture with the camera. By doing this, Sony isn’t pitching its product directly but just trying to get you to like it, test it, talk about it to your friends and family, and probably even buy it.
This very same strategy is used by Blackberry : a man or women hands their phone to you, pretending they want your number, the fact is: they will never call you back, but without knowing it you have tested the latest version of the Blackberry and this handsome man or pretty women was just trying to get you to be curious about it.
We have no proof these strategies work you will say. Well actually we do! Hennessy hired very good looking people all around the United States to have fun in bars drinking their Cognac, to offer this same Cognac to whoever they want to, to have conversations about it in bars or restaurants, and of course all the drinks are paid by Hennessy ! Isn’t that great? Well it is and it works, Hennessy’s sales have never been as high as since they started this new marketing strategy, the fact that it is “hidden” is what makes it so successful, it isn’t about trying to charm someone with your brand new product but about tricking him.
This is a highly controversial method but whether we like it or not, we can’t ignore the fact that we are being pitched in our everyday lives.
So, beware of the perfect family that just moved in next to you with their shiny car and brand new flat screen TV … They may have just one thing in mind… Just take a look :
Lucie G
This article is very interesting. I admit it's pretty smart from companies to use this kind of marketing. It may seem unfair and not ethic but actually they are playing on the trap of consumer society: always getting the latest and brand new product. It's all about temptation. Does anyone know if stealth marketing is linked with "product placement" in music videos or movies?
ReplyDeleteRomain Balducci
Product placement is indeed linked with stealh marketing but I think stealth marketing is even smarter.I think that "placing" a product in the hands of someone's favourite actor or actress is a nice move because "normal people" (if I can say it this way) and especially teenagers, are always seeking towards looking just like their favourite actor or singer. Stealth marketing is about "placing" a product in the hands of someone just like you and me, the product seems more accessible than when it is used by someone famous ( because we always get this impresssion of inaccessibility when it is used by a "star").You won't say "if Brad Pitt bought this tv, I could too", but you can say "well if my neighbour bought this phone, why couldn't I ?" . That's the smart thing about stealth marketing and once again, I think it works because it is undercover, which isn't the case of a product placement.
ReplyDeleteLucie Giraut
OK, I see the differences. I agree with you on the point that stealth marketing is smarter than product placement. Found an interesting report about the ethics of stealth marketing (link here: http://www.ethicapublishing.com/confronting/5CH11.pdf)
ReplyDeleteRomain Balducci
I don't think I've ever been a victim of stealth marketing but it is impressive to see how big firms are ready to attract more customers. We are always tempted to buy useless gadgets even if we can't afford them. 'You don't need it but you want it', as Romain B. said in his article. This is the main problem and it will be hard to change this bad habit.
ReplyDeleteOne thing to remember from your article: you can't judge a book by its cover... and sometimes you can be disappointed by its content!
Delphine Cormons
Well, your article is really surprising me. I have never heard about stealth marketing before. As Romain said, it is true that many people will buy the product just in order to get the latest item or the trendiest brand. However, not everyone adopts this superficial behaviour.
ReplyDeleteThe problem I see in this marketing strategy is the following : even if you don’t intend to imitate your neighbour or to buy the same camera than anyone, I think that after having tested the product, you will unconsciously keep it in mind until the day you really wish to buy one. Moreover, by doing so, a growing number of people must be affected by the promotion. So tricky and so well done from the companies.
Emilie Fert
Thank you for this article ! It is really surprising to learn how far multinational companies go in manipulating potential consumers. To my opinion, this stealth marketing is a great representation of what capitalism is : a subtle conquest where the conquered people(s) must ignore their status. That is maybe why undercover marketing is a subset of guerilla marketing.
ReplyDeleteThe comprehensive document about the ethics of stealth marketing communicated by Romain Balducci shows that this marketing is far from being an innocent way of luring people. As a matter of fact it « “attempts to catch people at their most vulnerable by identifying the weak spot in their defensive shields » according to professor Roy Langer. Even the most charismatic people are manipulated to manipulate. If only we were the characters of the caring and compassionate world of a well-known Truman...
Baptiste CHAUVIN